JOIN USNana Patole alleges system not letting him 'live peacefully'
In what signals that all is not well within Maharashtra’s ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance, state Congress president Nana Patole alleged that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar are keeping a watch on his movements.
The statement created ripples in Maharashtra’s political circles and stunned the two other MVA partners — Shiv Sena and NCP.
The opposition chose to hit out at the MVA saying that there is a deep sense of mistrust among the three ruling partners. Addressing a meeting in Lonavla in Pune district, Patole said that his entire day’s schedule is known to the chief minister and his deputy.
“They receive reports about everything. Who is protesting where, everything needs to be updated. They even know what I am doing. The chief minister and deputy chief minister are keeping a watch on me,” Patole said.
“The system is not allowing me to live peacefully. My phone is being tapped. Wherever I go, whatever I speak, a report is sent to the chief minister, deputy chief minister and home minister. Some people seem to dislike that Congress was growing in strength…the Shiv Sena and NCP hold the posts of chief minister, deputy chief minister and home minister, we do not have such a department," said Patole.
As a matter of fact, the Shiv Sena and NCP are agitated over repeated statements of Patole that Congress will go alone in future local body, Vidhan Sabha and Lok Sabha polls.
Patole’s statement incidentally came hours after NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, reacting to his statement of Shiv Sena-NCP backstabbing Congress. “They are small people, why should I comment on them? If (Congress president) Sonia Gandhi had said something, then I would have commented on it,” Pawar had said.
It may be recalled, last month, Thackeray had snubbed Patole saying, "...people would beat with footwear (those) who only talk about contesting elections alone without really resolving people's woes…which party does not want to win as many seats as possible fight elections on its own, but this is not the time for such announcements”.
After Patole’s statement snowballed into a controversy, he said that he said that the government was stable. “False news is being circulated about me by the opposition,” he said, adding that the MVA government was stable and would last its full term.
Meanwhile, NCP chief spokesperson and state minority affairs minister Nawab Malik said that Patole has made such a comment because of lack of information. “The SID keeps details of movements of the chief minister, deputy chief minister, ministers, senior leaders, labour leaders and important persons for security…if anyone does not want security they can give in writing,” he said.
Malik also said that Patole can also get more information and clarification from the former chief ministers of their party – Ashok Chavan, Prithviraj Chavan and Sushilkumar Shinde.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in Assembly and ex-chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “The statement (of Nana Patole) reflects the extent of mistrust they (MVA partners have).”
His counterpart in Council Pravin Darekar said, “There seems to be some kind of unrest among Shiv Sena and NCP as the Congress has decided to go alone in polls.”
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